1. Field of the Invention
The invention is associated with several fields: carburetion of automotive engines; spring clamping devices; couplings and connectors; and automotive aftermarket repair kits.
2. Prior Art
Existing means for gaining the objective of the invention have a different inventive concept. A competitive kit is available in the aftermarket with a metal collar to be fastened to the surface of an exhaust manifold with a hose clamp, in which the band of the hose clamp must be threaded through slots in the collar and in which the collar serves as the base for an air duct to be fastened there by yet another hose clamp. Because of the remote location of the exhaust manifold, deep within the hood, installation of the hose clamps is awkward and aggravating.
3. The Problem
Automotive engine performance is inefficient during a cold start, when the crankcase oil is viscous and the air taken into the carburetor is cold. One of the problems in gaining efficient combustion of gasoline is to evaporate the fuel droplets produced by the carburetor, a process that is only achieved by supplying the latent heat of vaporization of the fuel. At start up, that heat is gained largely from the air supplied for combustion, which is taken in through the air cleaner via a tube called the snorkel or air horn. During a cold engine start, the automatic choke provides a fuel/air mixture that is rich in fuel but poor in air, so that if that air could be hot air, the needed heat would be supplied and the transition to hot engine performance would be facilitated. Now, when the engine has just been cranked to a start, and when the engine itself and the coolant temperature are still cold, the exhaust gases passing through the exhaust manifold are immediately hot, so that the manifold itself carrying the gases quickly becomes hot. Since the 1960s, many automobile manufacturers have adopted the practice of using the hot exhaust manifold as a "stove" to heat air for the carburetor during the early stages of operation. The means with which this has usually been done includes a spaced-off metal shroud mounted on a portion of the exhaust manifold, to collect and channel the hot air, an aperture on the shroud with an upstanding metal collar, and a flexible air duct mounted with a hose clamp upon that collar at one end and upon a second collar on an aperture on the snorkel of the air cleaner at the other end. A thermostatically controlled valve within the snorkel regulates the mixture of hot air from the manifold with ambient air from the primary intake of the snorkel.
In the interest of controlling air pollution, many localities now require periodic inspection of air pollution control equipment on automobiles, and in connection with such inspections it has been found that substantial numbers of vehicles have missing or defective hot air supply systems. The shroud and/or its collar are often found to be missing or useless because of corrosion. The attachment hardware for the shroud is often found to be so badly rusted that attachment of a new shroud would entail costly repairs that could not be justified in light of the diminished value of the vehicle as a used car.